Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-04-25
MR.. BLAND RESPONDS.
THB SUPERINTENDENT OF THE HOSPITAL
Fer THE INSANE REPLIES
To the Lsttsr OF Hon. Joseph Spngg-Es Denies the
Ohages Brought Against Him And the Motives
OF ThOss Who Made the Chsga-GOv.
Wilson And The Appointments.
WEST VIRGINIA HOSPITAL FOR
TIT TNSaNr

TO Tie Editor Of 1e Register.
1t seems that it is only necessary for onc
to assume the management of the West
Virginia Hospital for the Insane, to be.
come the target for the malicious assault:
of partisan and personal enemies. Both OF
my predecessors in the Office Of Superin.
tendent of this Institution were under con.
slant fire. All have been investigated, aud
one was investigated upon charges much
more minute and narrowing in detail than
any ever preferred against me- In Large
Institution Of this kind, with the multitu.
dinous duties devolving upon the Superin,
tendent, with the ever-present necessity Of
disciplining the employees, of reprimanding
the negligent, discharging the unfaithful,
dealing with rival interests and with strug-
Cling aspirants for position, the making OF
enemies is unavoidable, and, with the
weapons furnished them by idle gossip and
baseless rumors, more or less prevalent
among so large numbers of employees,
magnifed and distorted with age,
and repetition, material is never wanting
for charges ranging from the most frivolous
to the most serious. Upon investigation
these have always been found to lack the
substantial basis of truth The investigat-
ing committees of the Legislature, which
passed upon charges against the former
superintendents and myself, honorably ac-
quilted each of us, and it has been re-
served for a committee, selected by the
last Legislature, without expressly sus-
tanning any of the charges preferred against
me, and indeed ignoring large majority
of them, to come to the conclusion that
the public interest demands my removal
from my present Office as Superintendent
Of the West Virginia Hospital for the In
sane. Under all the villihcation and
abuse to which have been subjected by
partisan press, by those whom it has be-
come my duty to discharge from the
Hospital, and by the disappointed
applicants for the very bumblest
to the very highest positions therein, /
have remained silent have been content
to 20 about my duty in my own way, with
confidence that in time the results of my
work would shame my accuserS Even in
the face of the report of the last investigat-
ing committee have not rushed into pub
lie print in my defence, but have rested in
the belief that the report, upon its face,
bore evidence of an unfair spirit, and that
upon a careful consideration of the testi-
mOny adduced before the committee, all
fair minded men would agree that its con-
clusions were unwarranted. 1t seems,
hnWaUar that r,nap,har Of tha
tee, Mr.. Jos. Sprigg, not satisfied with
prejudiCing my case before the Legislature
by submitting an adverse report upon the
eve of its adjournment, uHdccompdnied By
eUideRce must needs rush into print Just at
the time the Senate will be called upon
to act upon the Governors appointees
and at day when it is not likely that this
evidence can be printed in time for its
Deliberate consideration by the Senate, for
the purpose of assaulting me, of prevent
ing the confirmation of gentlemen whom
he assumes to be friendly to me, and
thereby vindicating the judgment Of the
committee, and especially the judgment
of the Hon. Joseph Sprigg, think that at
least forbearance has ceased to bea virtue,
and whilst not desiring TO discuss at great
length the report OF the committee or the
letter of Mr.. Sprigg, ask the use of your
columns to say few words in my own
behalf, and in reply TO Mr.. Sprigg desire
to say of the vOluminous testimony against
me, which has been so long withheld
from the public, except such portions Of it
as has been furnished the Weston Repub-
HcdR by the stenographer in advance
of its presentation to the Governor and
the Legislature, and with whose
editor, it has been currently reported, the
Hon. JOS. Sprigg, is in reguler correspond
ence, that the most of il is the veriest trash
made up of idle unfOunded rumOr and
hearsay, reiterated and long-drawn-out, of
great bulk and of little substance, of what
is called the duplicating testimony, nine
gentlemen of high character and intelli-
gence have reached just the opposite con-
clusion TO that arrived at by the commit
tee, that such of the essential parts Of this
testimony, which he says was admitted by
me, was only of acts on my part admitted
by the committee to be without impure
motives but, in the judgment Of the COM
mittee, 'indelicate and Teprehensible."
have visited female patients alone; some
sane as well as insane females will not per-
NIT an examination in the presence OF
any one except the physicians. In the
halls, when a visit is made to patient
other patients stand around the doors and
look in, much to the irritation of the pa
tient visited, and many of those visited
shut the doors themselves. Instances OF
this kind were in evidence before the COM
mittee.
have never done anything at the Hos
pital which have not done frequently in
my private practice, and in a long life,
busy with professional duties, not a shad-
ow of suspicion of improper conduct has
ever been before cast upon me. | have
practiced in all the best families in this
section of the State, and numerous gentle
men of the highest standing testified in my
behalf before the committee in the most
complimentary terms. There is nothing
in my past history to justify this assault
upon me, and not one particle Of wrong
doing in any act Of mine in my Hospital
practice.
Twill Just here say that the Hon. Jos.
Sprigg's opinion of this testimony, and in.
deed of all the testimony before the COM
mittee, as expressed in the report signed
by him. is not at all in accorf with that
expressed by him in Weston. day or so
before leaving be stated TO gentleman
here that there was nothing in the testi-
mony hurtful TO DIR. Bland, and at differ
ent times he had similar conversations
with Others. | can only account for bis
sudden change of opinion by suppOsing
that after leaving here be fell under the
influence of an unsuccessful applicant for
nv position, also a member Of the commit
tee, who expressed decided opinion be
fore coming that ! was incompetent and
unfit for the Office Of Superintendent Ofthe
Hospital.
As to the misuse Of liquors at the Hospi.
tai, I will Just say that the committee had
before it the same bills which were exam
ined by the directors which can at any time
he inspected at the Hospital, which will
entirely support the Directors in their re
port as to the amount purchased during
the year referred to by the committee and
which will utterly refute the false state
ment Of the committee. As to this, the
committee has purposely misrepresented
the facts or as carelessly considered the
testimony rs it did other testimony pre-
sented.
An assault has been made upon my
comnetency- Let nv works speak. A